Goa’s wait for Blue Flag gets longer

Panaji: Goa will have to wait for the next two to three years to participate in the Blue Flag certification project as the time limit for the entry for selecting beaches under Phase II of the project has expired. The next phase will begin only after 2023.

The Blue Flag project is now under Phase II with the identification of new beaches for certification from eight coastal states and Union territories. If a state wants to participate in the certification project then it will have to wait for three years for new phase to begin.

Society of Integrated Coastal Management, which implements the project under the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, has informed the state authorities that no entries for certification will be accepted unless there is consensus among people for the project.

Moreover, the High Court of Bombay at Goa quashing on Friday the Centre’s notification on the Blue Flag certification for the Miramar beach has closed the doors on the project, at least for now.

“We have not sent new names to get the coveted Blue Flag certification to the implementing agency because we have been informed that no proposal will be accepted by the agency unless it is recognised by the people,” an official said on the condition of anonymity.

Nevertheless the task before the environment department is now to ready the 12 identified beaches in the state for the certification.

Last year, the department nominated four beaches – Vagator, Mandrem, Ashvem and Keri – in North Goa district and eight beaches – Agonda, Palolem, Patnem, Benaulim, Betalbatim, Majorda, Baina and Bogmalo beaches – in South Goa district.

But the department is still struggling to convince people on the importance of the Blue Flag certification for the beaches. In October last year, as many as eight beaches in five states and two UTs  were awarded the certification by an international jury comprising  members of the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Tourism Organisation, the Foundation for Environmental Education  and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Centre, under its ambitious Beach Environment and Aesthetic Management System  programme, in 2020 proposed the names of the eight beaches to the FEE’s international jury for awarding of the Blue Flag tag.

The eight beaches that have been awarded the ‘Blue Flag’ tags are: Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasargod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden beach (Puri-Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Island).

However, the Miramar beach missed the bus. The Blue Flag would have fluttered at the Miramar beach, If there was no strong objection from locals and activists to the project. 

The district beach management committee headed by the collector, who was overseeing implementation of the blue flag project at Miramar beach, had to strive for two years  warding off strong opposition.

A total of Rs 8-crore fund had been earmarked for the Miramar beach under the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project for beach infrastructure facilities, pollution abatement services, as well as mechanised beach safety and security services.

Unfortunately the state did not get the fund because no work could be taken up at the beach so as to meet the 33 stringent conditions  to apply for the certification due to the people’s opposition and the stay order passed on October 7, 2019 by the High Court of Bombay at Goa against the Centre’s notification of July 12, 2019.

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